Method of reducing metallic oxides



Nov. 20, 1928.

Filed Nov. 26, 1926 4 Sheets-Sheep ATTORNEY.

Nov. 20, 1928 1,692,588

W. H. SMITH METHOD OF REDUCING METALLIC OXIDES- 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 26, 1926 INVENTOR.

1 ATTORNEY.

Nov. 20, 1928 W. H. SMITH METHOD OF REDUCING METALLIC OXIDES Filed Nov. 26, 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet I N VEN TOR. 1 701 ZZzam X 5% A TTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 20, 1928.

UNITED STATES 1,692,588 PATENT OFFICE.

- WILLIAM H. SMITH, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIG'NOR TO GENERAL REDUCTION COR- PORATION, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN; A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

warrior or nnnucme METALLIC oxIn-ns.

Originalapplication filed February 17, 1926, Serial No. 88,774, and in Canada June 28 1926 Divided and this application filed November 26, 1926. Serial No. 150,715. a

My invention relates to a method of reducing metallic oxides. It is particularly adaptable for the reduction of iron ore and has to do with. a method of reduction wherein the oxygen is removed from the ore by the application of heat in the presence of a reducing agent to leave the iron free in its metallic condition known as sponge iron.

The process of "reducing iron ore with solid or gaseous material, and the heating of this mixture at relatively low reducing temperavtures to produce s onge iron has been known for many years. ponge iron of this nature has been manufacturedby what is known as the hand method; that is, the mixture, com-. prising a layer of charcoal, a layer of ore, etc.,

is usually placed in a retort, or tube, and a fire built on the outside to a temperature suiiicient to cause the oxygen to'leave the iron and unite with the carbon, or reducing agent.

Many devices have been designed inan at- I tempt to reduce iron ore by. this method on a commercial, economical scale, but such devices have been unable to produce true sponge iron on a commercial scale and atproduction cost that will permit its use in the manufacture of commercial iron and steel. The best known types of apparatus and processes for reducing ore, corresponding to the so-c'alled of furnace, the circular retort :types, and other elaborate furnace structures, including the muflied kiln type. Some of these struc tures have improved the efiiciencyof'heati'ng the ore, but all such methods have been either impractical or inefiicient, or both, for the rea son that they have all required an excessive amount of fuel, and with most of them it has been impossible to reduce the ore uniformly throughout, with the result that the reduced iron has been inferior in quality. Some of these furnaces of. the prior art have also been objectionablein that some of them'agitated the iron ore which has resulted in uneven heating and waste of fuel; and others have exposed the ore directly to a heating flame whereby the finer particles have been blown out of the furnace. 1

My invention has to do primarily with the provision of separate zones of heat and the reduction of the ore by passing the material and reducing medium through such zones of heat in such a manner that part of the mixture will be heated to just sufiicient temperahand process, comprise the rotarykiln type' ture in one zone to cause a reaction between the ore and reducing medium; the heat in the reduced iron will be absorbed in another zone; and the heat absorbed transferred to another zone to assist in pre-heating the incoming mixture, or to assist in heating the ore at the reaction zone. This method of applying and controlling the heat in reducing the ore is accomplished by the provision of a novel and compact furnaceof a type where in the ore is passed continuously through the furnace and subjected to heat by conduction in such a manner that the ore is completelyv reduced to commercial form and delivered at a temperature for handling, and with the use of such a small amount offuel .as to render the production cost of the reduced iron much lower than .the cost of sponge iron heretofore obtained. Another feature of my invention has to do with the provision of a'plurality of relatively narrow, vertical retorts for receiving and passing the ore continuously and preferably by gravity through the furnace, whereby the ore is subjected to the maximum amount of heated surfaces to eflect thorough and even heating of the gravity-fed ore.

Thisapplication is a division of my co- E en'ding application, Serial No. 88,774, filed ebruary 17, 1926. 1

In the drawin s: I Fig; 1 isa ragmentary side elevation, partly in section of a furnace constructed in accordance with my invention and showing 'a furnace ,formed'of a bank of four retorts, I two of the retorts being shown in section.

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section taken through one of the retorts shown in Fig. 1 and illustrating the manner of heating the furnace when a fuel. is used of a nature requiring excess air for combustion. I

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section, similar to Fig. 2, through a modified form of furnace construction wherein the heat for eifecting the reduction is furnshed by electrical resistance elements and also showing the preferred retort is preheated, the ore in the center of the retorts is heated to a temperature sulficient to cause reaction with the carbon, a re ducing agent in the mixture, and the ore at the bottom of the retort is cooled before delivery.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical cross section similar to Figs. 2 and 3, but showing a modified form of heating unit.

three combinations are relatively dependent in that the proper reduction of the ore and the controlling of the temperatures is dependent on a feeding and removing mechanism similar to, but not necessarily the same as that disclosed. In the various types of furnaces shown each retort is shown as comprising three main zones, which may be designated the pre-heating zone, the ore reducing zone, and the cooling zone.

The furnace as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 may be designated 1, and may comprise as many units as desired, according to the production desired, and without in any way affecting the efficiency. As illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 the furnace 1 is made up of a bank of four retorts 2 formed by as many units. It will be obvious that the main part of. the furnace may be constructed as a unit comprising a large number of retorts, or as many as desired. Each of the retorts 2 consists of a vertical and preferably narrow passageway, rectangular in cross section as best illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the walls of which are formed by the walls of the heat conducting or absorbmg umts.

he upper part of each retort is, as shown in Fig. 1, formed by the inner walls of a parallel series of fiues 3 which are built of refractory material. These blocks may be hollow in cross section, and as shown in Fig.

'2, are relatively long so as to present a maximum amount ofheating surface. In the particular form, asshown in Figs. 1 and 2, the refractory flues 3 are provided with ports at outer ends thereof whereby the gases in passing from the bottom to the top flues, will pass longitudinally of the flues, and in a tortuous path as illustrated in Fig. 2. It will be understood that these refractory flues may be made up of any number of ports desired and also may be made removable for replacement,

- although in view of the relatively low temperature utilized in my method such replacements should be very rare.

The lower portion of the vertical retorts 2 are formed by the walls of metallic sections 4, which when combined with the walls of the furnace form the air conducting flues 5. These sections 4 are soarranged that air entering through the port 6 will pass longitudinally and in alternate directions through each individual flue. The air from the top sections 4, or flues 5, is in the particular furnace shown in the Figs. 1 and 2, designed'to empty. into the lower heating fine 3, which flue is also designed to receive the incoming fuel for combustion.

A suitable port 7 is provided in the side of the furnace for each section of flues, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, for the reception of a suitable burner 8. When this burner 8 is supplied with a relatively rich fuel requiring excess air for combustion, the air from the lower flues 5 is designed to be admitted to the refractory fiues 3 at a point 9 where it will readily mix with the incoming fuel to form a combustible mixture. This combustible mixture will burn in one or more of the horizontal flues 3 and the products of combustion will heat the remaining flues as they pass towards the waste flue, or s ack 10, thereby conducting their heat to the incoming ore and leaving stack 10 at a comparatively low temperature.

The top part of each retort 2 is provided with a feeding hopper 11. This hopper is flared at its upper end to receive its mixture of material comprising the charge and the.

lower part of each hopper terminates in, or is provided with, suitable valves 12. In the drawings these valves are shown as comprising rotary valves. The delivery part of each hopper, or the conduit between the valves 12, and the upper end of each retort 2 is preferably positioned with a cover opening 13, whereby the movement of the material may be assisted by suitable means inserted through the openings 13.

The bottom part of each passageway, or retort tube, is provided with rotary valves Ll, similar to the valves 12. These valves are mounted in a suitable outlet hopper or conduit 15, each of which is provided with a suitable cover 16, whereby access may be gained to the retorts from below.. The redu'ced .ore, after being cooled in the lower zone, or retort, may be discharged continuously, or at intervals, by the valves 14 into suitable hoppers 17 Each hopper 17 is pro- 1 vided with a suitable gate 18 Wherebythe sponge iron or reduced material may be dumped into a traveling car 19. The gases produced by the action of the ore, and reducing agent pass from each retort 2, through the flue 20 and into the gas main 21.

In operation the material is conveyed to the particular retort by means of a suitable dump car 22. The material as used may 1nclude any ore, or other materials, and a reducing agent of charcoal, anthracite coal, coke, wood residue, or the like may be used. This mixture of ore and reducing agent is fed into the hoppers 11 and the mixture of ore is intermittently, or continuously, fed into the retorts by means of the valves 12. It will be understood that the valves 12 and 14 may be mechanically and automatically perated and adjustably-timed in accordance with the ore production. In'the normal operation of the furnace, the combustible mix:

ture of fuel and air in the lower flues 3 is such as to heat the central zone of. the fines to the proper reaction temperature which may be around 1800 Fahrenheit. Themixture of ore and reducing agent being fed by gravity, or conveyor, through the retort passageway tube will first come in contact with the upper zone of the retort and be pre-heated by the products of combustion. As this preheated mixture reaches the central zone of the retort passageway the reduction reaction takes place whereby the reducing "material combines with the oxygen in the ore. After reduction the reduced iron is moved to the ing condition and ready to be handled im mediately upon delivery." l

A modified form of apparatus for carrying out mymethod is disclosed in F igs. 3 and 4 wherein the heat conducting fines are replaced by electrical resistance .units' 23 These units may be of any form desired and are preferably removably inserted in the walls of the furnace and extend lengthwise of the retortchannel. The retort channel 2 is preferably of the same dimensions as the retorts shown in Figs. 1 and 3 but the three zones, namely, the pre-heating, reduction heating, and cooling zones are more defined.

The reduction, or reaction zone has a limited number of units 2.3 containing the electrical resistance coils. Thetop part or pre-heating zone of the retort is provided with a series of air flues 24 which are preferably similar in construction and arrangement to the air flues 5. The air pre-heated in the-lowermost air flues 5 by the out-going reduced ironv is conducted to the 'pre-heating air fines by a pass conduit 25, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. This air, after having transferred the heat units to the incoming ore andreducing'material maybe directed into the'atmospher'e.

tion. Otherwise this furnace utilizing elec trical heating-unit is constructed the same as the furnace disclosed in Figs. 1 and 2 and previousl described; 7 A furt er modified form of apparatus for carrying out my method is disclosed in Figs.

.Fig. 2. lower or coollng zone, 1n whlch zone the air the retort are made up of lines which form separate heating zones, the lower section or zone being made up of air flues, the center section,.or zone, being made up of combustion 'or electrical heating flues, and the top section or zone, being made up of pre-heating flues.

i pressure, and'the resulting combustible gas admitted to the combustion fines 27 which are similar inform to the flues 3, as shown in The operation of each of the furnaces as described is esentially the same and 1n the preferred form of reducing the iron ore I mix the iron ore, or other metallic oxide with a re ducing agent and feed the mixture through the valves at the top of the retorts.- However, it will be understood that in place of utilizing a solid carbonaceous reducing agent that I can utilize a reducing gas which may be preferably introduced in the bottom of the? retortsf These reducing gases admitted in the bottom of the retort will pass through the reduced iron and absorb the sensible heat from such iron, whereby the reducing gas ion carbon, and through the reduction zone and out to the gas main. In this reaction, while there may or may not be some oxygen taken up by the partially reduced iron, Ih'ave found that in passing a CC) gas through such iron in the presence of carbon at a. reducmg temperature, and preferably above the point of.

highest temperature in the reducing zone,

:very little oxidation takes placein the sponge .iron, and in any event, there is not enough reoxidation to affect the final product of the reduction for its use in further metallurgical, processes.

, After the sponge iron is discharged and removed from the: reduction retorts the gangue may be-separated from the iron by magnetic concentration, or any other suitable means.

It will be understood that the-various flues making up the different zones-of my retort-s may be arranged either vertically or horizontally as desired, so long as they are constructed as to present a retort which is relatively long and narrow in cross sectionwhereby the ore may bejfed through the retort and come in contact with the maximum surface of walls whereby it can be progressively pre-heated, reduced and cooled with maximum economy in the use of fuel.

It will thus be. seen that I have provided a novel method for reducing iron ore, or like metallic oxides, with a minimum amount of heat. The individual retorts are long and narrow in cross section and are arranged in groups of many units of unlimited length. This effects a most economical conservation of heat because the only heat lost by radiation is from the outer sides of the two end retort walls. It will be obvious that in large installations requiring many units that the units can be arranged concentrically, in which case there will be no appreciableheatlosses by radiation. Furthermore, the furnace is continuous in action and substantially all the heat created in the reducing zone is utilized advantageously in the furnace, the reduced iron being discharged in a comparatively cool condition and the products of combustion, if any, being discharged through the waste stack also in a comparatively cool condition.

hat I claim is:

1. "he method of reducing iron ore, or similar metallic oxides which consists-in continuously passing the ore and its reducing agent through a reducing zone of fixed temperature, and absorbing 'the heat from the reduced iron to pro-heatthe incoming ore.

2. The method of reducing ironore, or similar metallic oxides, which consists in pro viding a completelyenclosed heating zone, maintaining said zone at a fixed reducing temperature, passing the ore through said zone in a comparatively fiat thin stream whereby the heat will penetrate the stream of ore and heat it uniformly throughout, and subjecting such ore when in said reducing zone to a reducing agent whereby the iron is reduced to a sponge iron.

A method of reducing iron ore, or similar metallic oxides, which consists in providing a completely enclosed and continuous passageway for the ore to be reduced, maintaininga predetermined portion of said pas sageway at a constant reducing temperature, passing the ore through said zone of constant reducing temperature in a relatively flat, thin stream whereby the heat will penetrate the stream of ore and heat it uniformly throughout, reducing the ore in said zone of constant heat with carbon and passing a gas which will react with carbon through the enclosed ore and reduced iron in the presence of excess carbon to form a combustible gas.

4 The method of reducing iron ore, or similar metallic oxides with the application of a minimum amount of heat which consists inproviding' a plurality of completely enclosed passageways for receiving, heating and cooling the ore to be reduced, providing zones maintained at reducing temperature between and substantially enclosed by said passageways for heating the ore passing through said passageways, by conduction, passing the ore and reducing agent through said plurality of passageways and through said zone of reducing temperature in a relatively flat, thin stream whereby the heat will penetrate the streams of ore to cause complete reduction thereof to sponge iron.

5. The method ot'reducing iron ore with the application of a minimum amount of heat to sponge iron, which consists in providing and maintaining a heat zone relatively long and narrow in cross section and passing ore in a comparatively fiat thin stream on each side of the heat zone to substantially enclose the heat zone, whereby to confine the heat in said zone and reduce the radiation losses, and subjecting said ore in said fiat thin streams when in the reducing zone to a reducing agent whereby the ore is reduced to sponge iron.

6. The method of reducing ironore or sim ilar metallic oxides without melting, which consists in enclosing and continuously moving ore to be reduced in a plurality of streams and providing heating vzones confined between said streams of material wherebysubstantially all of the heat units radiated by thev heating zones will be absorbed by the continuously moving material.

7. The method of reducing iron ore or similar metallic oxides without melting, which consists in maintaining a heat zone at a predetermined reducing temperature, completely confining and substantially surrounding said heat zone by the material to be reduced, whereby substantially all of the heat units radiated from said zone will be absorbed by said material, subjecting said material when in the reducing zone to a reducing agent, and heating saidmaterial when in said reducing zone by conduction.

8. The method of reducing iron ore or simi lar metallic oxides without melting, which consists in continuously feeding a mass of ore and reducing agent divided up into a plurality of separate streams, providing a sourceo'f heat between adjacent bodies of ore, completely separating said sources of heat from one another by said streams of ore and regulating said sources of heat to present and maintain a similar predeterminedreducing temperature between said streams.

'9. The method of reducing iron ore or similar metallic oxides, which consists in continuouslyv moving a mass of ore divided into a plurality of separate streams, completely enclosing said separate streams during the reduction process, providing a source of heat between said streams of ore, completely separating and substantially surrounding said sources of heat by the streams of ore, regulating said independent sources of heat to present three distinct zones between the streams of ore, namely,* a preheating, reducing, andcooling zone, maintaining said zones'between heat, which consists in completely enclosing and continuously feeding a charge of ore and reducingagent, heating'the charge to a comparatively low temperature by conduction from heating means substantially *enclosed by the charge to cause reaction and reduction of the ore, and absorbing and utilizing the heat in the reduced ore to heat the raw unreduced ore.

11. The method of reducing iron ore or similar metallic oxides with the application of a minimum amount of heat, which consists in enclosing a charge of oxide and its reducing agent, heating a part of the charge by conduction to a temperature sufiicient to cause reaction and reduction of the oxide from heating means substantially enclosed by the charge, absorbing the heat of the reduced iron by a cooling medium and then? combining this medium with a supply of fuel to form a preheated combustible mixture to provide the -heat for the heating means.

12. A method for the continuous reduction of ore with the application of a minimum amount of heat which includes passing parallel and relatively flat and narrow streams of a charge ofore and reducing agent through a furnace, confining a heating medium between i the adjacent streams of the charge whereby substantially all of the heat will pass into the charge, and regulating the heating medium and rate of passage of the charge so that a layer of the charge is maintained substantially constantly at a predetermined temperature.

13. A method for the continuous reduction of ore with the application of a minimum amount of heat which includes passing relatively flat and narrow streams of a charge of ore and reducing agent through a furnace with the sides of the adjacent streams having the greatest area substantially parallel to each other, confining a heating medium between the parallel sides of the streams of the charge wherebysubstantially all of the heat will pass into the charge, and regulating the heating medium and rate of passage of the charge so that a cross sectional layer of the charge is maintained substantially constantly at a predetermined temperature.

14. A method of reducing iron ore, which consists in providing a plurality of yertical retorts for the ore to be reduced, said retorts being long and narrow in horizontal .cross sec tion, the .long sides being adjacent to each other, passing the ore and a reducing agent through said retorts and maintaining a zone at substantially uniform reducing temperature in each of said retorts.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

WILLIAM H. SMITH. 

